A Life Remembered
by keslei
Summary: Post-ep for 5x10 - a scene between Peter and Walter. "I remember now. He showed me everything."


**Author's Note:** I was so wound up after 5x10 that I couldn't sleep until I'd laid out the framework for this scene in my head. And then of course I forgot half of it over night and had to spend a few days trying to recover it. I really hope that the show goes in this direction with that reveal, and doesn't just stick with Walter remembering the plan now, but we'll have to see.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own these characters or the amazing plot lines that have brought them to this point.

* * *

_Memory is not so brilliant as hope, but it is more beautiful, and a thousand times more true. - George Dennison Prentice_

* * *

"I know who Donald is... Donald is September."

Walter delivers this stunning pronouncement with startling serenity, given the level of intensity with which he'd been pursuing this answer.

But Peter can tell that there's something more, that the boy showed him something beyond the identity of their mystery man, something that has shaken him greatly. So when Walter takes the ECOG device off his head and wanders off to his room in the back of the lab without elaborating further on what he had seen, Peter follows him, worried for his father's well-being.

Stepping into the dimly lit room, he sees Walter sitting quietly on the end of the bed, fiddling with an old TV remote, occupying his hands and distracting himself from whatever it is that is on his mind. With a few quick steps, Peter moves to the bed and sinks down onto it as well, not saying anything, leaving it up to Walter to decide if and when he'll reveal the contents of what he was shown. Years of experience have allowed Peter to become quite good at knowing when to press his father for answers, and when to wait patiently for the revelation to come eventually, and he knows that this is one of those times where Walter will disclose his thoughts when he is ready, and not a minute before.

So he is not surprised in the least when, instead of addressing the plan or the boy or September, Walter brings up a random memory from years past.

"Son... do you remember the time you got in trouble at school for kissing a female classmate in the janitor's closet?"

This latest random trip down memory lane brings a grin to Peter's face, and he chuckles as he gives his answer, amused by the fact that Walter chose that particular event to bring up now.

"Sure, Walter, I remember. Her name was Chrissy something-or-other, and that kiss was pretty awful. And you took me home and sat me down and gave me a long lecture on becoming a man and responsibility and..."

He stops abruptly as the importance of his father's question sinks in, and slides quickly off the bed, squatting down in front of Walter and grasping his shoulders tightly, meeting Walter's eyes with his own intense gaze.

"...and I was twelve. I was twelve... So how do you remember it?"

His hands tremble with fear and hope, as the dreams he had set aside years ago rise to the surface again. The relationship he has built with Walter in this timeline is a strong one, but he knows that his part is in a large part based on memories from before, on things that never happened. And the thought of getting back those precious years causes him to strengthen his grip on his father's shoulders, staring into those grey eyes, looking for a sign that their history exists for Walter again.

"Walter... Dad... Did Michael show you something about me?"

"He said you were important. That you had to live. I need to run some tests on you..."

Walter's eyes are distant now, and Peter recognizes that his mind has wandered off down another path, but this time he really needs his father to focus, so he speaks soothingly.

"I need you to concentrate, Walter, to think about what he showed you. Can you tell me what happened?"

His breath catches as he watches Walter's eyes fill with tears, as his father reaches up and touches his cheek, then responds in a quavering tone.

"He pulled us from the lake, just like you said. I saw you live - I saw you grow up, saw you fall in love, saw you get in the machine. You lived, son... you lived. And I remember now. He showed me everything."

And as Walter pulls him close, Peter rests his forehead on his father's shoulder, reveling in finally being remembered by the two people he loves the most. Tears gather in his eyes as well, and he clings to Walter like a child, as a burden that he has carried for so many years is finally lifted.

Olivia finds them like this moments later as she comes to the door to check on them, and she rushes over to them.

"What happened? Are you alright?"

Two tear-stained faces look up at her, as father and son turn towards her with matching expressions, and her concern grows, but Peter quickly stands and takes her hand.

"It's okay, Liv. We're okay."

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he stops and glances at Walter briefly before continuing.

"In fact, we're better than okay... 'Livia, Michael showed Walter more than just Donald..."

He is interrupted by a tearful but enthusiastic Walter, who can't keep his joy at remembering his precious son to himself.

"He showed me Peter's life, showed me our life, our family, the way it was where Peter lived. I got to see my son grow up..."

And as Walter tears up again at the memories, Peter reaches out and places one arm around his shoulders, while at the same time wrapping his other arm around Olivia's waist, pulling his family together.

To the rest of the world, he is a man with no past, no history. But these two are the force that binds him to reality, and he holds them tightly, basking in the knowledge that he is truly known and remembered by them.

Here, at the end of the world, he is finally home.


End file.
